


Yes. Father

by buckystar



Series: Born To Suffer [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Age Changes, Damian is the older brother, Dick is a stupid teenager, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Jason is tortured, Jason suffers A LOT, Multi, Mutual Pining, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, POV Outsider, People show feelings, Protective Clark Kent, Protective Clarke, Self-Harm, Sexual Experimentation, Sexual Tension, Shit goes down, Suicidal Thoughts, Superbat is really cute here, Supersons are adorable, Supportive Selina Kyle, dick is kind of a dick
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-03-31 22:03:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13984227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckystar/pseuds/buckystar
Summary: * MULTIPLE STORYLINES THAT INTERTWINE *Jason Todd comes back to life only to be tortured by the Joker and Talia to make Jason think the Joker is his real father and that Batman killed Jason five years ago.There's so much sexual tension between Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent and none of them know what to do about it. And the tension only grows... The angst is real!!Damian Wayne and Jon Kent are a power couple!!!PLUS: Heartbreaking flashbacks.





	1. Preparations

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chapter fanfic and I'm kind of nervous about it. I have the plot pretty much figured out but who knows what will end up happening at the end! I really hope you enjoy it :)

The clown grabbed the corpse and started carving it with a knife as if he was making the final re-touches to a toy so that the kid inside of him could play with it. And God he knew he was about to have a great time.

“What a lovely surprise.” He said looking at his reflection on the knife, smiling. Always smiling.

“And what are you going to do when you’re finished?”

Then, the thoughts in his mind made his way out of his throat and he broke into tears of laughing while he kept on cutting red lines on the boy’s body in very strategic places.

“I think this will be enough, at least for now. Don’t forget to take care of those scars, we don’t want them to appear too fresh. In a few days, he’ll be ready for the show.” The clown looked at his masterpiece with a straight face filled with satisfaction that one lasted a few seconds. “What a drag we can’t copy his handwriting. I could’ve done something much more creative.” And soon the smile was back. “Good thing you could rescue that, Talia.” He said, pointing at the papers Talia was holding.

 

* * *

 

  _“Daddy!” The young boy was running through the mansion looking for him. He really wanted to show him what he had done. He wanted his dad to smile at him with proud. He wanted him to like it._

_“Daddy, where are you?”_

_He kept on running until he crashed with the suit of a tall and elegant man that could finally stop him._

_“What were you going so fast, Master Todd?” The man said._

_“I wanted to show dad the drawings I did. I spent the whole day doing them! See? I even drew something for you, Alfred.” The boy answered, straightening his back to appear as tall as he could with the eyes closed and a smile of proud._

_Alfred took the piece of paper the kid was handing to him, and he saw the drawing of a very happy man dressed up with his own regular suit, standing right next to an even happier little kid wearing a red sweater with the letter J._

_“I don’t know why Dick and I have a personal sweater and you don’t. That’s just rude. I want you to have one. I’ll talk to dad about it, I promise.” He said convinced._

_“No worries, Master Todd,” Alfred replied. He bent down until they were both able to face the other. “Besides, I really like my suit. Your dad gives me very nice suits.”_

_“You look very good in those suits, Alfred.” He complimented._

_“Well, thank you, Master Todd. And thank you for this.” He said smiling, looking at the boy’s drawing._

_He hugged Alfred, making sure the paper wouldn’t wrinkle, but still so tight. Alfred let him stayed in his arms for as long as the boy wanted, making him feel safe until he finally let go._

_“Now, we have to find Master Wayne, he should see how talented his son is,” Alfred said._

_“No! Alfred! This one is just for you!” The boy screamed. “I want you to keep it. As a secret between you and me.” He continued looking at Alfred’s eyes, whispering._

_“Alright, Master Todd. I promise I’ll keep it somewhere safe.”_

_The boy looked at him, waiting for Alfred to tell him where he was going to put the drawing, but the man didn’t say a word. Instead, he folded the paper very carefully and put it in the left pocket of the jacket._

_“No one will know about it. Just you and me.”_

_“Secrets are something special, Alfred. Dad taught me that. I know he probably has some secrets. But he’ll tell me when I’m older.” The boy said and really straighten up when saying the last word._

_“Of course, Master Todd. I’m sure he will.” Alfred secured him._

_The boy nodded his head smiling and kept running, looking for his dad. But it was late in the night, so Alfred had to, eventually, put him to sleep._

_“He’s out again, right? He’s never here when I need somebody!”_

_Alfred lowered his head, causing the boy to regret his choice of words a little bit._

_“I didn’t mean that, Alfred! I’m sorry!” He apologized, coming back again to Alfred’s embrace._

_“It’s alright, Master Todd. I understand where you’re coming from. A son needs his father. And yours tends to be in the night for so long.”_

_“I’ll show him the drawing tomorrow morning when he comes back. But I want you to be there to see his face. I even drew Dick!” After all that energy running, he felt like he was finally calming down. “You know what, Alfred? For you not being my actual relatives, I feel like you are my real family.”_

* * *

 

 Talia gave him the papers. They were old drawings from a young boy before dying. In those, she saw, before giving them to the clown, the very same man drawn in different situations. A man she once felt things for but ended up letting it all go. She let everything go in that moment.

“Bruce Wayne.” The clown said with a scornful tone in his voice.

He and Talia had built up their own cave of pain and were about to make all their plans come true. They both kept looking at the drawings until they decided to separate them into two, very cautiously. They analyzed the face of the man and, starting from there, put them in one group or the other. They ended up with a very few drawings of an angry/sad looking man, always dressed in black. In some cases, he was even wearing the mask that revealed his other identity. The rest of the drawings shew a happy, caring man. He always either alone or with the company of one or two little boys. But he was very happy in all of them. Except for the ones they kept.

The clown gave Talia a look and she looked at the papers one last time until she set them on fire.

“Now. Bring him to me, Talia.” He said.

She took the corpse that was hanging from her arms and gave it to him as he appreciated it as a painter looking at his self-portrait knowing he had reached the perfection he had always wanted.

“Oh. What a lovely monster we are going to create. The best weapon against Batman no one has ever made.”

He took the body and stared at it for a few seconds.

“You are going to become what I’ve been craving for the last five years. It was about time.”


	2. Damian rocks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the second chapter! I've been very inspired writing this story but I don't know how often I'll publish a new one. In this one, you can expect a lot of Damian content! ( Here's my favourite one of all the kids from the Batfamily, even though Jason is really cool too. But Damian... that boy is just too much! :D ) I already put it on the tags but I'll repeat it, I've made a few changes when it comes to the characterization of the characters, so take that into account. I made those changes so everyone would fit better into the story and I'm happy with the results. I hope you are as well!!

"Bruce. Bruce, wake up."

Selina Kyle tried to make things sweeter that day, as she did every day. But sometimes her effort to make him feel better after what happened was useless. The first months, even the first couple of years, she just tried to be there for him and she repeated to herself that nothing would ever be enough but that never stopped her from staying with him. She loved him. After going through a lot of shit together, they had created a bond that could never be broken, no matter what the future held for the two of them. She didn't only love him, she also loved the kids. Especially the oldest one, Damian. He was almost 18. Gush. How time had passed by.

 

* * *

_Alfred Pennyworth opened the door as he was hearing strange sounds coming from the big garden of the Wayne Mansion and see what was happening. He soon realized that the sound came from behind the big shrub that belonged to the twelve-year-old Dick Grayson. It was basically a seven-feet-tall-grass sculpture of himself. Dick was that kind of kid. Moreover, he wasn't even into the whole Robin thing. Being Batman, or anyone's sidekick didn't really appeal to him. And he was sure that the kid wasn't going to be happy with someone messing with his shrub. But actually, he wasn't doing anything. It seemed as if he was looking for something he had probably lost. Alfred popped his head out and was surprised to find a kid behind the shrub. At first, he felt sad. He reminded him too much of Jason. At that point, only a year after his death, any little detail could take back the memory of the boy. He tried not to cry at that moment, in front of the other kid that was in front of him, but he noticed that his eyes were already watering a bit._

_"May I help you, kid?" He finally said._

_He looked at Alfred and didn't even try to make up a lie or something that shew he was sorry he got caught up._

_"No. I got it, don't worry. You can come back inside. Your master may be calling you right now. And you don't want to lose your job, right?" The boy answered, shameless._

_Now Alfred was even more surprised after hearing the boy talking. What an attitude he had. He also noticed by the accent that the kid was probably Latino._

_"So. You don't know who my master is, boy?" Alfred continued, full of curiosity._

_"No." He laughed. "Why would I?" Alfred's expression turned more serious so the boy decided to clear things up. "I'm new here in Gotham. So, if he's a very important figure, I'm sorry. He's not the president, right?"_

_Alfred burst into laughter and the boy immediately relaxed and even laughed a bit along with him._

_"I was just looking for this." The boy said, with a football ball in his hand._

_But he didn't leave at that moment. He was waiting for Alfred to do or say something, he then realized._

_"Alright, boy. Do you want to come inside?"_

_"Emmm... sure, why not? It's not like I have something better to do."_

_Alfred entered the mansion followed by the boy who, despite the attitude he had shown before, he didn't hide the fact that he was even surprised of the dimensions of the mansion. The walk down the hall to the big salon and sat in front of the fireplace in the armchairs._

_"What's your name, boy?" Alfred asked when he felt like the boy had come back to earth._

_"Damian. Damian Santiago." He answered._

_"And where are you from?" Alfred kept asking._

_He had to admit the boy had him very intrigued. Damian let out a loud sigh before answering that question that almost made Alfred felt bad._

_"My grandparents were from Cuba and came to America as soon as they got married. My mom was pregnant with me when she was a teenager. Their parents got mad and they couldn't take care of me anyways so I was put in an orphanage/boarding school. I was very young. When I was eleven they decided I was old enough and they also couldn't take care of me so they sent me away. I tried to run away a few times so I don't really think it was a hard decision for them. I am making a living for myself in Gotham. And here you have me."_

_Alfred kept on looking at Damian, now with even more curiosity._

_"And what about the football ball?"_

_"This was something I've been carrying with me for a few years now. I have it since I was in that place and it's the only thing I have here. I live in a small apartment in Gotham. Near to, erm, Crime Alley. I don't know if you've heard of it."_

_Damian didn't know but, of course, Alfred had heard that name more than a few times and he still got goosebumps when hearing it._

_"Yes. I have." Alfred said in a low voice._

_"Well." Damian laughed. Alfred, on the contrary, had his mind somewhere else. "Obviously is not as good as this place you have here." He continued._

_Alfred, at that moment, had an idea. And he knew that Bruce Wayne wouldn't say no after hearing all the details._

_"It is a very nice place, indeed," Alfred said, with a smile on his face._

 

* * *

 

"I'm going to Metropolis," Damian said while walking down the stairs.

"You are not going to wait for your dad?" Selina asked. "You know what day is today. Please, tell me you..."

"Mom. I know." Damian calmed her down. He put his hands on her shoulders and tried to make her smile. "November 6th. I know. But he still has to get ready and... we're not even going to be together at the same place at the same time, you know." He said, trying not to be rude.

It was true that he never met Jason but the 6th of November had always been a very rough day for everybody in general. Bruce adopted him just a year after Jason died. Alfred was the only one who talked to Damian about Jason. Bruce never dared. Selina never could. He understood the whole situation, accepted and sometimes, he even sad he missed the chance to meet him. He probably would've like him. However, at the same time, he wished people understood that there was nothing he could do. He never met him. He couldn't be sad like everyone else and he didn't like how that made him look. There was only one person who could actually get that. Someone to whom he opened up about it a while ago: his boyfriend, Jon Kent.

"Bruce will take the Batmobile. Everything will be fine! Besides, I already talked to him about it. He was fine with it." Damian said.

"What did you exactly said to him?" Selina demanded.

"That I was probably, and, by probably I mean most likely, going to go to Metropolis on my own to see Jon. And, most likely spend the night." He answered with a mischievous smile.

"Okay." Selina sighed. "Then... I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She hoped she would see Bruce before that.

In that precise moment, Bruce came down the stairs with his hair wet and a towel around his waist.

"I thought you would've already left." He said, running his fingers through his hair to dry it out a little bit.

He had to get it cut soon, as well as shaving his beard, which was already covering up his chin completely.

"I was just about to go. Jon wanted me to tell you that Clark will be waiting for you on the porch. As always."

"I could've predicted it," Bruce said with a slight smile for the first time that day.

"Well, I better get going," Damian said, really looking forward to seeing his boyfriend.

"But, wait a minute. Why so soon? They live in the countryside of Metropolis and at this time they don't have buses to go to the centre." Bruce said.

"It is never so soon to see Jon, dad. And let me remind you, again, that he can fly. He's even faster than his dad. And we're almost adults now. We don't take buses. And you know where we hang out!"

Just after Damian said the last sentence, the heard the sound of the door. He opened it and found a tall, skinny but yet muscled boy with shiny black hair and blue eyes. Within a few seconds, he had taken Damian's breath away.

"Are you ready?" The boy asked.

"J... J... Jon." Damian babbled. "I thought I had to pick you up."

"I know, I just couldn't wait for..." Jon started to talk seductively to his boyfriend until he realized they had company. "Emm... Hi, Mr Wayne. Ms Kyle."

"Don't worry, Jon," Selina said, trying not to laugh at the situation. "Have fun, boys." She added.

" _Adiós_ ," Damian said closing the door.

Suddenly, Jon took him and fly until Damian realized he was being pushed against the floor of a rooftop, but he didn't feel pain in his back. In that way at least, Jon was always very gentle.

Damian felt Jon's body touching his and then saw that Jon was on top of him. He leaned down to kiss him and Damian open his mouth as soon as he recovered the consciousness of his own body. Their tongues intertwined with passion. Jon was holding Damian by the wrists but he didn't mind. He was loving it. It drove him crazy seeing Jon taking control of the situation.

"I love when you speak Spanish," Jon said while trying to catch his breath.

Damian laughed and then pushed his whole body upwards to kiss Jon again, who received him, this time with sweetness, although the passion was always there.

"Where are we?" Damian asked while Jon was starting to displace the kisses down his neck.

"We're still in Gotham, love." He answered.

"Holy fuck." He let fly.

"Leave some of that for later," Jon replied, making them burst into laughter as their bodies relaxed.

"Let's go, then," Damian said, mischievous, as they left the city behind them, coming closer to the sunrise.


	3. Delicate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! It has been kind of hard for me to figure out how to write this chapter and it has ended up being longer than what I expected! There's a lot of Superbat shipping going on here, so get ready for that! I had a great time writing those scenes so I really hope you like it! :D

Bruce’s hair was already dry by the time he and Selina heard the sound of the boys flying away from the city of Gotham.

That day. That day especially. He had done it for four years, the same ritual. Getting up in the morning and feeling guilty for what he did. But, more specifically, what he didn’t do. He told himself while he was holding Jason’s corpse that he could’ve done things differently. When his parents died in front of him he didn’t do anything. He couldn’t. He was paralyzed, frozen by the horror of the scene that was taken place right in front of his eyes. He was just a kid. He wouldn’t have been able to save them. He would’ve probably died. Alfred would’ve been left alone. Alfred was the only one whom he could count on. He was the only person that he loved that was still alive. And then Dick came. And he brought joy to his life for the first time since the incident. And then. He tried to breathe. Then. Jason. They shared a bond. They both had lost their parents but in totally different scenarios. And when the Joker brutally murdered Jason he felt even more sorrow than when the one he felt when his parents died. Because he wasn’t scared. He was angry. He knew what he had to do. He knew that time he could’ve saved who he loved. And he didn’t.

“Bruce.”

Selina was touching his face being delicate, making him come back to earth, away from his mind, full of heartbreaking memories. Bruce took her hand to his lips and kissed it so softly she barely felt the flesh of his mouth on her skin.

Selina took Bruce’s hand, which was still holding hers though his lips were very much far away, and both of their hands descended at the same time their fingers intertwined and their foreheads grazed. Selina reached her head to Bruce and kissed him. She covered his mouth with her lips as if they were rose petals when, in reality, they were almost ice.

Bruce hated acting like that, especially towards Selina but he knew that being a rock was worthless. Lying to her, smiling and pretending that everything was fine also was. There was no use on acting like nothing happened five years ago and simply just move on. He had better days where he could go out with Selina and have a normal life. Or, at least, the closest he could ever get to _normal_. And then there were days in which getting out of bed was the hardest thing he could think of doing. Alfred was also very aware of his struggles, even more than Selina.

 

* * *

 

_“Honestly, Alfred, I don’t know how this could help. He’s already gone”._

_It had taken him a while to say those words out loud, even in his mind._

_“Well, Master Bruce, no matter how many years a person lives, we’re always left with unsaid words. And, in this case, I can’t think of a better way to release such pain. In fact, I’ll do this with you, Master Bruce. After all…” Alfred’s eyes started to water but he tried to contain the tears in front of Bruce. He never cried in front of him. “I had got used to the boy.”_

_He remembered one time in particular with so much affection. Jason was about eleven years old. It was late in the night, of course, and Jason had sneaked out of his room with a small torch to the big bookshelves of the mansion, looking for a book to read. The boy was never a big fan of the act of sleeping, or anything that required a minimum of tranquillity. And, although reading was a very relaxing activity, one of the reasons why he and Bruce highly recommended to him doing, the books that the boy always chose featured lots of adventurous characters full of action in every page. And, of course, some violence and guns, even if they were medieval, especially then that Jason had recently received a small one thanks to Bruce._

_Jason was moving his fingers across the bookshelves until they stopped when he found the thick and white tome he was looking for. He lighted up the cover of the book and stared at the gorgeous golden swords that decorated it, next to the letters that formed the title, very similar to the swords. He touched them when he realised that it was printed in relief and while his fingers were running through the book, a hand touched his shoulder, waking him up from his bookworm-dream state. Jason looked at him without any sight of fright in his eyes, as any other child would do in a near-to-be-punished situation. He smiled at Jason when he read the title of the book: The Three Musketeers and let Jason come back to his room and start reading. That was the start of what later became many more reading experiences together, for him, one of the best ones a young boy could have._

_“_ _I know, Alfred,” Bruce said, putting his hand on his shoulder._

 _Sometimes they couldn’t help but smile thinking about Jason because, at the end of the day, they had a lot of good memories that couldn’t be eclipsed but the bad ones._ _Although that wasn’t always the case._

_“So,” Alfred said in a loud voice. “We could try writing a letter telling him a good memory we shared together. That would be very nice.”_

_Alfred covered Bruce’s shoulder with his hand, giving him a little smile._

_“We don’t have to write sad stories, master Bruce.”_

_“You’re right, Alfred.” He said, moving away Alfred’s hand from his body.”We’ve had enough living them.”_

_Bruce walked upstairs to his room, away from Alfred, who was left in the living room with the only company of the books and the sound of the fire, which had almost stopped crackling. He sat in one of the chairs with the papers he had prepared over the desk. He stared at the blank space and tried to write. But he knew something was off. Something was missing. More specifically, someone. He forced himself not to drown in the pain and instead setting it free like he had told Bruce to do. The time was passing by and he was still facing the paper. He took off his jacket, along with his tie and unbuttoning two buttons of his shirt. He rubbed his hands through his hair and face, making his tears come back again. Alfred got up from the chair and went to the small wooden desk where they had a bottle of whiskey and a couple of glasses. He served himself a full glass of it, came back to the chair and started to write while he was heavy breathing and the alcohol he was drinking overtook the tears in his eyes as the night went by._

 

* * *

 

Bruce separated his body from Selina, letting out a big sigh.

“I’m going to get dressed.” He said.

He went upstairs to his room and put on a black suit with a shirt and a tie, black as well. When he was almost done, he felt the presence of Selina at the door. He looked back and found her with her arms and legs crossed, leaning against a wall.

“When are you coming back this time?” Selina asked.

Every year, Bruce left the city and went to Metropolis and stayed there for a few days with Clark Kent, his dearest friend. With them spending so much time together, not only with those flying visits but also with them teaming up more and more often, it was obvious that their two families were going to form a strong bond. And that’s what was still happening to that day.

“I don’t know,” Bruce answered.

He never knew how much time he was going to need that time to feel normal again. He had been counting the days he had spent without seeing Clark. He had called him a few weeks ago telling him that he had to work on a big report and that they couldn’t see each other until he had finished writing it. But now the waiting was over. Thinking about Clark and, not only that but actually **being** with him, was pretty much the only thing that took his mind away to a happier place. He put on his watch and look at Selina’s reflection in the mirror.

“I love you.” He said.

Selina came closer to him and hugged him from behind.

“I know.” She responded, kissing him on the cheek.

Bruce turned around and took Selina’s face with both of his hands and place a kiss on her forehead. She relaxed her whole body and smile. Then, he let go of her and walked down the stairs with accelerated and abrupt steps, pretty running to the door while Selina stayed in his room by the window, watching him approach the dark blue Lamborghini Clark had gotten him for his birthday that it had been modified so it could also work as a boat and it would allow Bruce to travel to Metropolis in an easier way every time he wanted.

 _I love you too_. She thought, hearing the vehicle roaring and disappearing seconds later.

 

* * *

 

Bruce hadn’t yet arrived at Clark’s house that he could feel his eyes looking at his from the distance. When he parked the car in the special place he had reserved and opened up the door, saw Clark, with his strong and thick arms curved in a half-moon shape, his fingers encircling the handrail of the porch, facing his car. The smile on his face was immediate. Bruce hadn’t got off the car yet and Clark was already walking to it. When Bruce finally closed the door and met his blue eyes, he sighed while a smile flooded his cheeks.

“Hi,” Bruce said.

“Hello, Bruce.”

Clark enclosed him in his arms and Bruce slide his around Clark’s waist and, when he took a breath, he smelled Clark; the scent of his cool colony, the trace of soap and the indisputable and characteristic smell of freshly cut grass captured him instantly.

“So,” Clark said, without his smile leaving his face. “where do you want to go?”

“I’ll let you choose this time,” Bruce answered.

 _This time_. Clark never brought up the Jason subject unless Bruce did so. He had met the boy and knew from the first moment that he would adore him.

 

* * *

 

" _Who are you?” Jason requested, looking at a man who was almost as tall as Bruce, carrying a backpack. His hair was curly and his jawline, along with his cheekbones were much more marked._

_“My name is Clark Kent.” The man answered, making a movement waiting for the boy to shake his hand._

_Jason liked the respect of that small action and shook Clark’s hand while firmly saying: “Well, my name is Jason Todd. Do you know my dad?” Jason asked, continuing with his little interrogation._

_“Bruce is a very dear friend of mine. Actually, we usually work together. Today’s going to be pretty busy for us.”_

_“Ha! As usual…”_

_They both laughed, so hard that Alfred entered the room to see what was going on._

_“Is everything alright, Master Todd? Oh! Master, Kent! I didn’t know you were here!”_

_“Wait for a second, you know Alfred?” The boy asked, pointing at Clark with his index finger. “Okay, I approve.” He sentenced, making both Alfred and Clark laugh. “Wait!” The boy suddenly exclaimed, stopping the laughs. "If you’re saying you work with my dad…”_

_At that moment, Bruce came into the room… with his Batman suit on. Jason looked at Clark with the eyes wide open._

_“WHO ARE YOU??????”_

_“Jason, it’s fine. He’s Superman.” Bruce said in a calm voice._

_Then, Jason opened his eyes even more._

_“NO. FREAKING. WAY.” He screamed._

_“Master Todd…”_

_“YOU’RE SUPERMAN!!!! THAT’S SO COOL!!!!!” Jason exclaimed._

_He got so excited he even hugged Clark because he couldn’t control himself. Clark was so tenderhearted at that moment that he didn’t know what to do, but he couldn’t help it and hugged the boy as well._

_“Well, not as cool as being Batman,” Clark said, stirring the boy’s hair._

_“Come on, we have to go,” Bruce said. He was trying to be serious but he knew that the smile on his face would stay there for a while. But he didn’t really mind._

_Bruce and Clark went to the Batcave so Clark could change his clothes, he opened his backpack to take his Superman suit and then started to undress._

_“Why you didn’t tell him you were Superman?” Bruce asked, almost laughing._

_“Hey, you’re his dad,” Clark said, taking his shirt off._

_“ **And you’re Superman** ,” Bruce answered._

_“Anyway, I didn’t know if you had told him about me, which you clearly haven’t, but that’s fine. That’s why I said my real name.” He continued. He was almost in his underwear, without directly facing Bruce._

_“Hey,” Bruce said, taking Clark’s arm when he had just taken off his pants, leaving him only wearing a pair of dark boxers._

_The low light of the Batcave could only illuminate partially his faces, and Clark’s was traversed by the lights at the height of his eyes, highlighting the blue of his look. Bruce stared at Clark's abs in the dark room. He didn't need too much lightning to do that, as he knew its shape by heart._

_“I want to protect him. He's ten years old! He's just a kid! I just… I wish I could make him feel as if he could live without being scared of the world and its people. That’s why I keep doing what I do, that’s what’s on my mind while I’m doing it, Clark. It’s not that I’m ashamed of you. I don’t want you to think that. Please. Don’t ever think that again.”_

_Bruce’s hand was still on Clark’s arm, travelling across his veins. On his mind appeared the thought of pulling Clark’s body even closer to him, so close that he could feel his pulse against his skin. He fantasized about his hands exploring Clark's chest until his fingers could feel his touch at all times. That would set him on fire._

_C_ _lark, at that moment, was thinking something similar. His eyes went from his arm to Bruce’s facial expression which he couldn’t figure out in his mind. Then, his eyes met, and Clark felt as if he was piercing him with a sword. He could barely breathe, so his breathing sounded louder than he would’ve wanted at that moment. Bruce, mistaking Clark’s feelings, pulled his arm until their bodies were almost touching. Bruce placed a hand on Clark’s cheek and caressed it with his thumb. Clark had his eyes closed and was only breathing through his nose, trying, in vain, to calm his breathing. Finally, he opened them and smile in the most relaxed way he could._

_“I’m okay. Don’t worry.” Clark murmured, glad that his voice hadn’t cracked and that he had sounded convincing._

_He abandoned Bruce’s touch slowly until he saw their bodies were away from each other. He knew they should’ve left the mansion already. And he also knew that if he had done what he was thinking of doing at that moment, Bruce would’ve moved away quickly. Because he was convinced that he didn’t feel the same way._

_Clark put on his Superman suit and they both jumped in the Batmobile. They left at full speed off the mansion while Clark’ skin was burning underneath his suit._

 

* * *

 

 “Okay, Bruce, it’s almost noon, so we should probably go somewhere and eat, don’t you think?” Clark said with humour in his voice. “How about _The Cape_ ?”

Bruce laughed. He had bought what years ago was a big place no one wanted and with the power of his money, turned it into the most famous restaurant in Metropolis.

“Sounds good to me,” Bruce answered.

“Are we taking your car or mine?”

“Yours.”

They walked to Clark’s black Lamborghini, which was just like Bruce’s.

“I really like your car. It’s even better than mine. I have to admit I’m a little bit jealous.”

“What?” Clark said, surprised.

“Yours can fly.”

“Bruce, you have six helicopters.”

“Hey, that’s not fair. Only two of them are actually mine.”

Clark gave Bruce a look of incomprehension.

“Four. But two of them are for… emergencies. In case Dick breaks or steals one of mine. The other one is Selina’s.”

Clark’s facial expression changed as soon as he heard her name. And he knew he shouldn’t feel jealous. He knew they had an open relationship but how the fuck was that supposed to change anything between Bruce and him? He knew he couldn’t change him or how he felt and, in the bottom of his heart, he knew that sooner or later he would have to give up once and for all.

“How’s Lois?” Bruce asked when they got into the car.

Clark loved Lois. He would protect her with his life and they also had a child. It was another kind of loving. He would never leave her. He could never live without her. But it was the same case with Bruce. Only that with him he had the passion he didn’t have with Lois. What they both shared as husband and wife was a strong, pure and unbreakable bond. But somehow, there was something missing. He had nothing to complain about when it came to her. He could only wish for his feelings for Bruce to disappear. They were only infatuation and nothing else. And he would never ruin his relationship with Lois for anything in the world.

“She’s great. She’s doing great. She’s at work right now but we’ll be having some well-deserved time off after this.” He sighed in relief. His smile had come back to his face.

“Wait, so she’s at work and you’re not?”

“I could work from home but they needed her in the office. She had to do a lot of interviews and I had a ton of research. And I finally finished.”

Actually, he was very looking forward to Lois coming back home and celebrate the beginning of their little vacations.

“Not so fast, Superman. You always have work to do.” Bruce said, correcting him.

“And so do you, smart ass,” Clark added with sassiness.

Bruce looked at Clark out of the corner of his eye and laughed a little. Clark quickly changed the subject.

“So… Damian doesn’t want a helicopter?”

“He has a personal flying-boyfriend, I think he’s good to go.”

Clark burst into laughing.

“I bet he’s faster than your helicopters.”

“Ooooh, no. Don’t go there.”

“I’m already in there.” He replied, looking at Clark with a tempting expression on his face.

Bruce leaned towards him, facing his eyes with the same facial gesture.

It took them a while to realise they got their hands on the steering wheel. They looked at each other, fire and also a glint of mischievousness coming out of their eyes and started the Lamborghini at the same time.

“We’ll see,” Bruce responded.

 

* * *

 

When they got to the restaurant and they remembered why they were there, the previous playfulness was totally left behind.

“Fuck. I can’t believe it’s been five years already.”

Clark took his hand and softly caressed the knuckles with his thumb. Bruce looked at him at let his eyes calm him as well.

“Every year will be easier.”

Bruce let go of Clark’s hand for a few seconds to then entwine his fingers with his, so firmly he felt he was holding Clark’s pulse inside his hand.

“Only if I have you with me.”

And Clark felt it too with every heartbeat.


End file.
